Surrey v Sussex T20

So the big day has finally arrived, A T20 twenty game at Whitgift, the weather looks good my ticket looks as though it has been ironed and this appears to be a huge game in deciding if we will qualify or not. If we lose I cannot see us making it but win tonight and we then have a home game against bottom of the table Middlesex next up.
The ground at Whitgift is not the bggest and in last years CB40 over game 22 sixes were hit so god only knows what will happen in a T20 game. I for one have told the better half not to drive down the Brighton Road this evening as it will be raining cricket balls. Sussex are good team and on paper many neutrals will have them down to win this one but this is T20 and you never know!!!!!!

PS I believe this game is on sky tonight, for those of you watching I will be the one running across the outfield towards Schofield with steam coming from my ears. (The thought of him bowling to Prior, Nash and Wright on this ground is scary).

My Line would be

Roy
Davis
Hamilton-Brown
Maynard
De Bryun
Lancefield ( obviously this will actually be Spriegal/Wilson/Schofield)
Ansari
Arafat
Batty
Linely
Nannes

We're going to hammer you...

Thank You for that insightful post Gregers!!! I'm glad you feel you have contributed to todays pre match talk

I wouldn't have Lancefield anywhere near the team tbh, averages about 10 in T20 for seconds this season! I think Ansari will bat at 6 but the rest will be the same as you say. Personally as I said on the other thread I would but Hyphen down to 5 to take the pressure off slightly. I think Sussex will get a big score with our bowling so our batsmen will need to fire.

Gregers, thanks for your contribution...

Carrot all I want to see at six is another batsman to lengthen our lineup, I like Lancefield as he did ok in the T20's last year and is young but must admit I have not followed his progress in the seconds this season.

Schofield could play there as a batsman I have no issues with his batting but if he plays we may bowl him (gulp) and also I think its a waste playing a 32 year old bowler as a batsman (not matter how well he is batting) when we could be giving a younger batsman a go.

Shame KP is playing for England at the moment as this would solve the problem or we could just select Ramps even if he has ruled himself out.

I just want to see an extra batsman in there, Spriegal's an all rounder, Wilson is a keeper batsman in dreadful form and Schofield is Schofield we need to find someone else.

I agree with Hamilton- Brown moving down the order

Tremlett is in the squad in place of Arafat, which weakens our batting even more . I agree that we should play another batsman but we just don't have anyone good enough atm .

Whats wrong with Arafat??? That weakens our bowling and batting... Tremlett will go for more than Arafat in T20 powerplay cricket.
We now really need our top three to fire

Sorry for the wumming comment, it was meant as tongue in cheek
In truth I'm really looking forward to the match, it should be a good game. Unfortunately for you we've got prior back which strengthens our batting. Plus hopefully Rana naved will be fit...

Unlike against gloucester yesterday I can't see Nash taking 4-7

Like you we rely on the big guns (Wright, Goodwin, Vincent, Prior and Nash) to much. A few early wickets and we struggle as our tail is fairly long

Pretty much the same as us Greger the problem being that our top three just haven't produced all tournament other than the odd innings. We also seem to persist in playing to many bowlers in a game where you need a long batting line up.

Not sure if you know Whitgift but its a small ground and one good innings by one big hitter on either side and the game could be won. Pretty much any score could be chased down.

Both sides have four or five batsman who could win the game on paper but in reality your five are in much better form than ours... but this is T20 so you never know

Seems like we are quite similar then, Gregers. I fancy Tremlett and Nannes against Wright as I think he struggles against good, Prior would be the danger man to watch for me, he seems to go well in county T20's. Depressed - Arafat picked up a slight knock apparently, I don't think Tremlett will go for as many, Arafat has been going for over 10 an over most matches so I don't think we'll be much worse off. We will miss his batting though. Davies has to come to the party tonight, 1 meaningful score from 8 attempts isn't good enough for someone of his quality. A lot will also depend on which Brain comes out to bat, the Kent one or the Glamorgan one...

I'm not confident about this one at all tbh, purely because to win we will need a big score which we just don't seem capable of atm.

Is say our key man as always us Goodwin. I don't know the ground but if its one big hitter can win it then hopefully one if Wright, Prior or Nash will get going.

It should be a great game tho...

Hi chaps,

Good to see the debate already in full flow.

Gregers - hope you'll stick around today and give some comments from a Sussex perspective during the game.

I think Carrot's comment about which Brain turns up to bat is spot on. Given Brain seems to need time to get going plus the poor form that Hyphen and Davies are in, I wonder if Brain might open with Le Roi Another option - which has to come with a health warning for Depressed - would be for Schofield to be Roy's opening partner.

Schofield has opened the t20 batting for the seconds and done better than ok. He's a biffer and might just come off. I do though agree with Depressed that it's disappointing to possibly have to rely on a failed bowler in his thirties to bolster the batting.

Whatever happens, there is no way that Schofield can be allowed to bowl tonight. On that, Depressed and I are as one.

Finally, much as I like the Viscount, I can't see him edging Meaker out of tonight's team.

Gb I should be on later. Definitely for the second innings if not the first,

depressedsurreyfan wrote:Whats wrong with Arafat??? That weakens our bowling and batting... Tremlett will go for more than Arafat in T20 powerplay cricket.
We now really need our top three to fire

You seem to be forgetting that, according to Pravda (Oval website), Tremlett is one of the "most feared bowers on the international scene"

If he can scare people just by bending over, imagine how terrified the Sussex batsmen will be when he charges in at full vertical stance!!


On a more serious note, I agree we need to win this match, despite personally already ruling us out of this competition. However, I fully expect RHB and Davies to get a combined total of 3 runs bewteen them, followed by the inevitable defeat...

depressedsurreyfan wrote:Whats wrong with Arafat??? That weakens our bowling and batting... Tremlett will go for more than Arafat in T20 powerplay cricket.
We now really need our top three to fire

depressed arafat injured himself diving saving a four.after that he went off and was replaced by Spriegel.

surrey win toss and bat

line up is in:
just the one change as expected
Roy,Davies,Hamilton-Brown,De Bruyn,Maynard,Ansari,Schofield,Batty,Meaker,Tremlett,Nannes

Hi JimBob and anyone else out there,

Roy gone in the third. 32 - 1. Enter Hyphen to join Davies .... so much for my earlier thoughts that the Brain or Schofield might open with Roy!

Looks like a very high scoring game - even without Schofield bowling

evening guildford gul's over goes for just 2 runs

50 for 1 after the powerplay

Roy hitting the first ball for 6 has already made my evening! He was looking good, such a shame he got out when he did. Looking good still so far though, need 200+ I reckon.

Carrotdude wrote:Roy hitting the first ball for 6 has already made my evening! He was looking good, such a shame he got out when he did. Looking good still so far though, need 200+ I reckon.

do you think we can that many carrot?

It is clearly a tiny ground as Depressed has been telling us (I'm watching on a Branson box). I seriously reckon we're going to need a minimum of 200 ....

sussex using there 7th bowler
sorry eyesight going

No. Although if these two bat another 7/8 overs we have a chance.

Carrotdude wrote:No. Although if these two bat another 7/8 overs we have a chance.

oh yes and how they handle gul when he comes back on

Encouragingly and unusually we have 9 wickets left at the halfway stage ....

50 for davies

guildfordbat wrote:Encouragingly and unusually we have 9 wickets left at the halfway stage ....

maybe we should play more games there

100 up

Heart in mouth time there when they both stood in the middle of the pitch!

9 overs left, still looking good. The key will be what happens when one of them is out...

Another let off, that would have been out had Prior actually caught the return throw. Hyphen still not back to his best but he is showing improvement tonight.

Still on for 200 after 13...

130 - 1 off 13. Top stuff but still very hard to know what a surefire winning score is on this Diddyman ground ....

we need carrot's favourite bowler to stay on

100 partnership

50 for rhb

Right. Hyphen's out, let's see what happens now... Come on Wine Gums!

144 -2 off 15. Momentum reduced with Hyphen's wicket ....

Only 20 off the last 3, losing momentum here

who would have thought it would be nash that done it

163 - 2 off 17. Ben Brown had a few minutes earlier said 'Sussex would be happy to chase down 190' ....

I don't think we've got enough.

guildfordbat wrote:163 - 2 off 17. Ben Brown had a few minutes earlier said 'Sussex would be happy to chase down 190' ....

I don't think we've got enough.

he would say that

174, 2 overs left not looking like it now carrot

I also suggested Davies wouldn't open as he nears a ton ....

Will Davies get a chance to get 100?

a big six davies into the 90,s

Maynard dropped 3 times!